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Warhammer Survivors Beginner Guide - Best Tips
Mason Reed
Mason Reed
2026-11-11

Get ready to face endless enemy hordes, experiment with powerful weapon combinations, and take on challenging bosses in Warhammer Survivors! Whether you're playing as a character from Warhammer 40,000 or Age of Sigmar, choosing the right weapons and upgrades will determine how long you survive. This Warhammer Survivors beginner's guide covers everything you need to know about earning XP, choosing useful upgrades, and evolving your weapons to become stronger.

Warhammer Survivors Beginner Guide

Sometimes, surviving just one more wave or unlocking a new weapon evolution takes another run. But you don't always have to stay at your PC to continue playing. With OSLink, you can remotely connect to your computer and play Warhammer Survivors on your phone. Continue your runs, experiment with weapon combinations, and work toward unlocking new evolutions wherever you are!

Warhammer Survivors Beginner Guide: How Does Gameplay Work?

Warhammer Survivors is based on typical survivor-style game mechanics. This involves selecting a character, entering a stage, and battling increasingly difficult enemies. Weapons can attack automatically or require directional aiming, and defeating enemies rewards you with XP skulls and orbs. 

To progress, collect enough XP to unlock choices of new weapons, companions, and power-ups. You will encounter elite enemies and powerful Extremis bosses as the game continues. Here's a quick breakdown of the Warhammer Survivors gameplay loop:

Warhammer Survivors Beginner Guide: How Does Gameplay Work

Gameplay Mechanic

What You Need to Do

Choose a Champion

Pick a character with unique starting weapons and stats.

Fight Enemies

Survive waves using automatic and directional attacks.

Collect XP

Gather skulls and orbs dropped by defeated enemies.

Level Up

Choose weapons, companions, and power-ups to improve your build.

Evolve Weapons

Pair specific weapons with companion items to unlock stronger versions.

Defeat Bosses

Take down elite enemies and prepare for Extremis encounters.

Unlock Upgrades

Collect gold and paint pots to unlock permanent enhancements, character forms, and secrets.

Never Stop Moving and Learn to Kite Enemies

If there's one beginner mistake you should avoid, it's standing still. In Warhammer Survivors, combat situations tend to become highly frantic with enemies closing in on you from all directions. Even with your powerful weaponry, it becomes hard for you to survive in such circumstances.

What you should do is move continuously and practice kiting. Kiting is a technique in which you lure enemies around the map while maintaining enough distance to attack them safely.

Never Stop Moving and Learn to Kite Enemies

Remember these few movement tips:

  • Keep an escape route open: Always leave yourself enough room to move when a large enemy group approaches.

  • Circle around enemy hordes: This helps you avoid getting trapped while your weapons continue attacking.

  • Avoid unnecessary detours: Don't risk taking damage just to collect a few XP orbs.

  • Watch enemy attacks: Pay attention to charging animations, projectiles, and incoming pounces.

  • Move sideways when fighting bosses: Running directly away can make it harder to avoid attacks and control enemy positioning.

Prioritize Area Damage and Projectile Upgrades Early

One of the best ways to get started in Warhammer Survivors is to prioritize weapons and upgrades that can hit multiple enemies at once, as enemy groups become larger and harder to defeat. Wide attacks, piercing projectiles, and increased projectile counts are excellent early choices. They help you defeat multiple enemies at once and collect XP more efficiently.

Do not get carried away and upgrade too many weapons. It is always better to focus on just two or three ways of dealing damage. Gradually, as waves get harder, concentrate more and more on dealing greater damage faster and increasing your survivability. Your upgrade priorities should change as the run progresses. Use this table to decide which stats and weapons to focus on at each stage:

Prioritize Area Damage and Projectile Upgrades Early

Stage of Run

Recommended Upgrade Priorities

Early Game (Levels 1–10)

Area damage, projectile count, piercing, pickup range, and reliable weapons.

Mid Game (Levels 10–20)

Damage, attack speed, cooldown reduction, additional coverage, and defense.

Late Game

Weapon upgrades, health, armor, recovery, and movement speed.

Focus on Weapon Evolutions to Increase Your Damage

Weapon evolutions are one of the most effective ways to increase your damage in Warhammer Survivors, especially as enemy waves become more challenging. Each evolution will have its own corresponding companion item, so try to pay attention to the necessary combination as you progress. When the necessary conditions are met, you’ll be able to obtain a more powerful weapon.

  • Check the Armory: Use the Armory to review discovered weapon combinations and see which companion items you need for each evolution.

  • Prioritize matching items: When choosing level-up rewards, look for the companion item that matches your main weapon.

  • Upgrade your base weapon: Strengthen the weapon before going for its evolution, as some combinations require it to reach its maximum level.

  • Watch for elite and boss chests: These can provide opportunities to evolve weapons once you've met the required conditions.

  • Build around your evolutions: Focus on a few strong weapon combinations instead of spreading your upgrades across too many different options.

  • Plan ahead: If you're aiming for a specific evolution, choose your upgrades with that goal in mind from the beginning of the run.

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Choose Your First Champion Based on Their Playstyle

Warhammer Survivors has a steadily expanding cast of characters from the Warhammer worlds. Each character has unique starting weapons, stats, and a playstyle, and choosing a familiar character can make your first few runs easier. Neave Blacktalon is a good character to experiment with. Her Tempest Axes provide an interesting starting point for learning weapon evolutions and movement-based combat.

Malum Caedo is another interesting choice, especially if you're familiar with Warhammer 40,000: Boltgun. However, his Chainsword requires you to pay attention to attack direction and positioning.

The demo features several playable characters, including:

Choose Your First Champion Based on Their Playstyle

Character

Universe

Beginner Notes

Neave Blacktalon

Age of Sigmar

Tempest Axes offer an interesting evolution path with Sabaton.

Malum Caedo

Warhammer 40,000

Starts with a directional Chainsword attack.

Legend of Catachan

Warhammer 40,000

Offers a different combat approach with grenades.

Lyssa Revenya

Warhammer 40,000

Features the Rope and Grapnel weapon.

Trooper Kozlowski

Warhammer 40,000

Starts with a Lasgun and squad-related potential.

Ulgromthier

Age of Sigmar

Has higher health and starts with the Brazier Staff.

Learn How to Handle Elites and Extremis Bosses

The enemy waves keep becoming more and more challenging the longer you stay alive. At one point, you will be faced with enemies of high caliber and bosses who can cause you serious harm if they come close to you. Your worst possible mistake is to focus solely on the boss while neglecting the other enemies around you. Try to create enough space before engaging. Keep moving, clear enemies blocking your escape route, and position the boss inside your strongest attack areas.

Learn How to Handle Elites and Extremis Bosses

Keep these boss-fighting tips in mind:

  • Watch attack animations: Some enemies have charging attacks that can quickly close the distance.

  • Don't walk into bosses: Even powerful builds can lose a huge amount of health from direct contact.

  • Move laterally: Use sideways movement to avoid projectiles and charging attacks.

  • Clear dangerous enemies: Remove smaller enemies that block your movement instead of attacking the boss nonstop.

  • Save useful pickups: Keep powerful screen-clearing items for particularly difficult waves.

Explore Stages and Complete Rescue Objectives

Don't focus only on defeating enemies during your Warhammer Survivors runs. Take some time to explore each stage, as you may find hidden rewards, useful pickups, and rescue objectives along the way. Keep an eye out for question mark icons (?) on the map, as these can lead you to opportunities to unlock new characters. You should also explore your surroundings and interact with destructible objects whenever possible, since they may drop helpful resources.

Explore Stages and Complete Rescue Objectives

  • Look for question mark markers: Check the map for these markers and investigate them to find potential rescue objectives.

  • Rescue characters: Complete available rescue objectives to unlock additional playable characters.

  • Break destructible objects: Explore barrels and other breakable objects for possible health or gold drops.

  • Explore beyond your usual route: Move around the stage when it's safe to discover useful pickups and hidden opportunities.

  • Balance exploration with survival: Don't chase every marker when enemy waves are closing in. Clear nearby threats before exploring further.

Common Beginner Mistakes to Avoid

Even if you understand the basic mechanics, a few small mistakes can make your runs much harder in Warhammer Survivors. These beginner tips for Warhammer Survivors will help you avoid common mistakes, choose better upgrades, and survive longer as enemy waves become more challenging. Make sure to keep these pitfalls in mind when following this early Warhammer Survivors guide:

Common Beginner Mistakes to Avoid

  • Standing still: Enemy waves can quickly surround you, so keep moving and maintain enough space to escape when things get crowded.

  • Ignoring weapon evolutions: Powerful weapon evolutions can significantly increase your damage and make later waves easier to handle.

  • Picking random upgrades: Focus on two or three strong weapons instead of spreading your upgrades across too many options.

  • Ignoring health and defense: Extra damage won't help much if you keep getting defeated before you can use it. Invest in survivability when needed.

  • Chasing every XP orb: Don't risk taking unnecessary damage just to collect a few experience drops. Wait for a safer opportunity.

  • Forgetting the Armory: Check discovered weapon combinations so you know which companion items you need for your next evolution.

Conclusion

That's everything you need to know to get started with Warhammer Survivors, champions! To survive longer, keep moving, choose upgrades that work well with your starting weapon, and build powerful weapon evolutions. Don't forget to explore every level, complete rescue missions, earn Gold, and spend it on permanent character upgrades between runs. Most importantly, experiment with different characters from Warhammer 40,000 and Age of Sigmar to discover which ones suit your playstyle. Want to squeeze in another run without staying at your PC? With OSLink, you can remotely connect to your computer and play Warhammer Survivors on your phone. Keep fighting enemy hordes, testing different weapon combinations, and unlocking new upgrades wherever you are!

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